


The Olympians

by Irhaboggle



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Drabble, Gods, Greek - Freeform, Greek gods, Guess who, Guessing game, Modern Setting Retelling of Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Olympians, One Shot, Pantheon - Freeform, Random - Freeform, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Short, idk - Freeform, olympus, poem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-08-13 15:17:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20176438
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irhaboggle/pseuds/Irhaboggle
Summary: The Greek gods are not dead. They have only changed their appearances throughout the eons. But they are still very much alive. Come take a look at what Olympus looks like now. Come see what the Olympians are still up to in the 21st century.





	1. The Olympians

The Greek gods are not dead. They have only changed their appearances throughout the eons. But they are still very much alive. Today, Zeus is still the King of Olympus, leader of all the other gods and head of the pantheon. He is a general, a war-leader. He is a brave fighter and a brilliant tactician. He leads with a just hand and a stormy gaze. He is fearsome and fearless. He can fly and is one of the most powerful creatures that the Earth has ever known, a true Lord of the Skies. But behind his stoic and stormy mask is a very fatherly heart and all who know him are more than happy to call themselves his kiddos.

Poseidon is the second of the Olympians, only just behind Zeus in terms of power, fame and control. But even though his dominion is down below and even though he is _not_ the King of the Gods, the power that he does possess is still very much a thing to be feared and revered. His legacy is still very much all his own, on a level far beyond mortal comprehension. He is a powerhouse, a riptide, and his strength, temper and depth can never be overestimated. As endless, courageous, mighty and unpredictable as the violent and warring tides are, so is he. A powerful warrior and an intimidating presence, Poseidon controls vast realms and the sea and land both tremble and quake before him, especially when he is in a fury. But like the ocean, he can be soft, friendly, gentle, approachable and enjoyable. He is not a raging whirlpool all the time. Sometimes, he's as cool and refreshing as a gentle sea breeze skimming the crests of little ocean waves.

Then there is Hades, powerful not through might, but through mind. With wit sharper and stronger than a scythe, she sits alone on her black throne, dark and brooding, but gentle and peaceful at heart. What people forget about Hades is that although she is the Queen of the Dead, she is no monster or killer. She only accepts the fallen into her ranks, but she does not bring them down herself. That job belongs to another. She only rules over the dead. And she rules over them with a stern but fair hand, surrounded by ghosts of the past as more and more subjects enter her kingdom every second. There is no light where she lives, but that's alright, because she likes it that way. It's much gentler than the harsh light of day. And her kingdom is still bedecked in beauty, covered in all sort of precious gemstones forged deep within the heart of the Earth. The kind of beauty that fills her darkened halls is of a different and more otherworldly kind. She dresses in fine robes and suits of black as she commands a stern, steely eye over her land. The Olympians are still her family, but she feels most at home here, alone in this little world that is all her own.

Then there is Hera, Queen of the Pantheon. She is highest and mightiest not because of strength, power or brutality, but because of command and control. The power bestowed upon her and the skills and personality that she possesses is what truly makes her great. She is a queen and goddess amongst mortals and immortals alike. She is wise, kind, fierce and maternal. She is a leader and a servant both, serving her kingdom and her family with an iron fist as she leads them on to victory every time. Being queen does not mean being second best, to a king or anyone else. It simply means being a female, as well as a leader and a person of power. Raising a cold, critical eye, she studies her subjects closely and continues to reign supreme as they tremble in awe, fear and respect before her, busy doing her bidding and spreading her commanding words like gospel. They scatter and scramble, printing up her laws and stories as she dictates. But behind that razor-sharp crown, there is a warm and motherly heart. She is the patron goddess to all women looking to find their place in the world. She is their advocate and advisor and they love her for it.

And then Hestia, Goddess of the Home and Hearth. Easily overlooked and underestimated, this quiet and gentle goddess is worth so much more than the rest of the world gives her credit for. She, like Hades, is the quiet sort of grace, beauty, power and viciousness. A hearth is still a fire, no matter how gentle. And how many wars, internal and external, have arisen over a conflict in where a home truly was? She, Hestia, is full of love, but love is not just a tender and innocent feeling. It can be as strong and violent as a storm and sea combined. She is the one who cares for all the others. She is the one who accepts the lost under her wing. She is the one who puts a roof over the world's head so that it may become the shining sphere of grace and majesty that it has the potential to be. Hestia may not be the most physically powerful goddess, but she is still a vital part of the Olympians. She _is _Olympus, their home and their comforter.

And another maternal goddess is Demeter, the Goddess of the Harvest. She, like Hestia, is fatally underestimated. Although she spends most of her days in the flowers and fields, known as a nurturing goddess, she is also a queen and a mother whose rage and protectiveness for her daughter nearly destroyed the world in a famine. It is she who controls the seasons with her emotions. It is she who decides who and what lives or dies. Without her, nothing can grow or prosper. It is she who dared to defy Zeus and Hades both in order to see that her little girl was home safe once again. She might be a farmer, but farmers wield scythes and to the animals and crops under their control, they are gods of death and power. Demeter may sustain the Earth, very caring and protective towards the one she loves, but she can easily take all that kindness back and quickly become a fearsome monster capable of killing the entire world.

Another god of plants is Dionysus. Technically, he is the God of the Grape Vine and the Vineyard. He is the God of Wine-Making and Parties and Madness. A hard drinker and an even harder partier, Dionysus is loud, proud, arrogant, wild, mischievous, fun-loving and free. But behind all the noise and drunken revelry, there is still a god who nurtures the Earth. Grapes, grains and other fruits don't always have to be used for alcohol. And he is God of Fertility as well, nurturing the planet that he now calls home. And when he does not bring merriment, he brings madness and drunken rages in his wake. So do not underestimate him. Oh, but what a dichotomy is Dionysus.

And then there is Athena, wise and warring Athena. Dabbling in the art of war, wisdom, battle and education, he is the smartest of the gods, his intellect soaring far over the others in the same way his sacred symbol, the owl, soars over the ground. Legend even says that he came into existence already clothed in full armor, ready for battle and already spewing out all sorts of calculations, probabilities and battle formations. He was born in a most unique way, never seeing childhood and being born as an adult and a warrior. None of the other gods can't claim a birth quite so impressive or different. But behind his steely gray appearance and talk of battle and strategy, there is a good and kind heart. He is friendly and helps all of his mortal friends whenever they should need an advisor. He's always ready with a plan, and some weapons, and if that fails, it won't take him too long to come up with something new…

Another God of War is Ares, but unlike Athena, he represents the more brutal, physical and bloodier side of battle. He uses strategy and is as smart as any military commander, but he prefers and enjoys the feeling of bodies and blades clashing together, as opposed to the more theoretical stage that takes place back in the base before the attack. He is one of the strongest, most violent and vicious of all the gods, almost a vigilante. He defends his friends to the death and fights off his foes mercilessly. Strong, brave and righteous, he fights and fights and fights, the epitome of a soldier and warrior. But his godly title doesn't just come from what he is capable of or what he has done to the world, but rather, what the world has done to _him_. A child born of and in a world of rage, hatred, war, blood, fear and violence, is it any wonder that he grew up to become one of Olympus' most feared champions? He is shaped by war just as much as it is shaped by him. Ever guarded and wary, he is always ready to fight.

Then comes Apollo, who claims sunlight, music, prophecy, healing and plague. She soars through the heavens in a blaze of gold and bathes in the warm sunlight. She smiles and sings, beautiful and terrifying songs. Some the tunes are bright and warm, full of life, laughter and love. Others are full of terrible grief and rage, the battle cry of a wounded soldier who refuses to surrender. Her voice is always beautiful and terrible, poised and ready to sing. She is admired by all who see her, but none dare look too close, lest they be blinded by her brilliance, rage and power. She is an unstoppable force to her enemies, and they are blinded and burned by her. Her scourge is one of legends, and even the other gods sometimes fear her great strength and power. She is music and sunlight, but she is also prophecy and plague. Powerful and strong she flies, whispering warnings to all who dare threaten the beautiful city she shines upon. But to friends and family, she is an endless blessing. She is as warm and big as the sun and her smile is just as bright.

Then there is her sister, Artemis. She claims the hunt, the wilderness, the moon, virginity, childbirth and protection, especially over other young women. In some ways, she is exactly like her sister. They both are warriors, strong, brave and battle-ready. They both can light up a room, or bring about its destruction in their temper and combat skill. They are both fighters, and queens of plague. But she does not shine as brightly as her sister, feeling truly illuminated only when she is alone. But even so, the moon and sun have been spotted together in the sky sometimes. A sister's love can override even the strongest of jealousies if treated correctly. And when she does stand alone, her bow and arrow are always ready to hunt and protect. She takes over when the sun is gone, but remains even when the sun returns. Constant is she, beautiful, powerful and protective, and she adores her sister, the sun, more than anything. Other women look up to her too, acting as all the stars that surround her in her heavenly hunt. She is their hero, advocate and advisor. And in some definitions, her claim over virginity does not necessarily mean that she has never had sex, but that she has never been with a man… She is the brightest thing in the sky when the darkness settles in.

Then comes Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty. Like Ares, she earned her throne not just because she IS love and beauty, but because she came from it as well. She understands it even better than the back of her hand. Love and beauty are what she is best at, what she studies and knows. She works with it, creating, defining and shaping it. Wise, kind and gentle she is, when her temper isn't flaring. She knows and understands the complexity and nuance of humans and their emotions. Who better to serve as the goddess of love than that? Than one as enlightened as she? She can read and understand people very well, able to easily predict their thoughts, feelings and actions. She is a Goddess of Love because she came from love, and she knows and understands it very well.

Then comes Hephaestus, wise like Athena, but far more physical and technical. If Athena can calculate probabilities in her sleep, acting as the embodiment of raw knowledge, then Hephaestus is an engineer and gadgeteer. He is a thinker and a scientist with a specialty. He builds and designs. But he no longer limits himself to metalwork. He doesn't just build machines and robots. He builds outfits and buildings and spaceships. He creates arms and armor powerful enough to defend the Olympians and aid them in their battles against rivaling forces. He is just as smart as Athena, but dabbles with the physical instead of the theoretical. His mind, heart, soul and personality are as bright and powerful as the fires he uses to build all of his miraculous creations.

And finally, there is playful and laughing Hermes. The "child" of the family, the lighthearted prankster, thief and messenger, she comes and goes as she pleases, no domain uncrossed for her. Only can she, with her laughing eyes and bright smile, travel to every place across the land and fear little harm. She can even travel to lands that the other gods cannot, in worlds that they cannot fully reach or understand. But she knows them all too well, and visits them frequently. A messenger between gods and humans, a middleman, she is the one who can understand both sides of the story, and with the help of her mortal and immortal friends, she hopes to one day achieve that goal of perfect balance and harmony. She is a child of limbo, one who embodies multiple worlds combined. She can touch every corner of a world and understand it all. It is her hope that with this gift of travel, communication and eloquence, she can help bring the same sort of harmony to the rest of the world as well. Until then, she runs and flies around Olympus, helping her Olympian family continue to guide and guard the world that they called home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Guess who's who? The next chapter will be a list of answers (which I'll post in 10 days from 8/9/2019), plus alternate versions that didn't make the final cut.
> 
> Also, for simplicity's sake, I only used the official 14 Olympians. I know there are a lot of minor gods and some of them may have fit better with certain characters (like Nia being Hypnos), but again, for the sake of simplicity, I only used the Big 14. (Sorry to the minor gods and their fans).
> 
> (The 14 comes from the 12 official Olympians plus Hades and Hestia, who was replaced by Dionysus as the new 12th Olympian).


	2. The Answers

First off, congrats to Jsottri for getting EVERY SINGLE ONE RIGHT! You rock!

Blackpaw29 came in second (I think there were a couple you never gave answers for, but you still came really close and you're awesome too!)

And then Ri2 came in third with five guesses correct, which is definitely not bad for a first time! Bravo!

And then one of my two guest reviews on came in fourth. I liked your guesses, but they weren't quite right, though you're now about to see what I was thinking of while writing this thing.

(But to elphiegranger2508 and my other guest review on , I am well aware that some of the Gods are misgendered in this fic, but that was intentional. Since each one was supposed to line up with a Supergirl character, the misgendering was supposed to act as a clue about who was who. I know the Gods' correct genders and any "mistakes" in this fic were not only intentional, but were supposed to be clues to help you guess better. Sorry if that wasn't clear).

Thank you all for "playing" and I'm glad you enjoyed this little game. (Hope it wasn't too hard or easy). Now here's the answers and explanations:

Zeus is J'onn. J'onn's the Papa Bear of the family and the leader of Olympus (the DEO). He's also said to be one of the few other aliens that Superman respects and fears as something of an equal (strength wise). IDK the exact power comparison between Superman and the Green Martian, I just know that J'onn is powerful enough that even Superman admits it. You've got to be pretty strong to get Superman's approval. J'onn's also got a stormy expression. Him and his disapproving non-smile, LOL.

Poseidon is Superman. Just because he lacks J'onn's "Papa Bear" and "Leader of Olympus" status, Superman is Poseidon. But that's no small feat either. Those who know the stories know that Poseidon is just as scary as Zeus and even if Zeus is stronger than Poseidon, Poseidon is still no pushover. (The Odyssey).

Hades is Lena. For one, Lena shares Hades' dark aesthetic. For another, in the same way Hades rules a kingdom separate from Olympus, so does Lena (L-Corp). She's also got quite a few ghosts of the past following her around and she is a bit of a loner. She's not 100% in the friend group (as the end of S4 reminds us of so painfully well). She's an outsider and outcast. And like Hades, she toes the line between good and evil and is often misunderstood and misconstrued as a villain even though both she and Hades are actually quite chill. (Seriously, Hades is not the villain modern media says he is. Nor is Lena). And some people also say Hades is a God of Wealth because living underground means he's surrounded by all sorts of precious metals and gems and Lena's got a bank big enough to buy CatCo for Kara, so… (Lena!Hades would soooo have a whippet Cerberus).

Hera is Cat. Cat's the Queen of Everything. So is Hera. And honestly, I've always imagined Cat's personality to be Hera's: bossy, haughty, rude, prideful, picky, controlling, dramatic and demanding, but also wise, kind, maternal (literally and figuratively) and empowering. Her use of tough love to mentor Kara is the way I imagine Hera running Olympus. She's a perfect balance of intimidation and confidence and there's a heart of gold under all that sass and snobbery.

Hestia is Eliza. For one, she's Team Mom. For another, even though she's a minor character, she offers up a lot of support to both Alex and Kara across some of their most important journeys. And for yet another, people seem to underestimate both Eliza and Hestia just because of their roles as minor characters. And on a meta level, Hestia is still a goddess and Eliza's actress did used to be a Supergirl. So don't underestimate these two!

Demeter is Sam. Sam's another Team Mom and if you know the story of Persephone (or Ruby), you know how far Sam/Demeter will go to make sure her daughter is ok. Demeter was almost a Worldkiller after the whole Persephone-Hades thing (don't make it weird). So in this case, Sam isn't just another Team Mom, she's the darker and fiercer side of Team Mom. Demeter definitely shows just how intense a mother's love can be, after all. And Reign, at least in the earlier days, did seem to target people who went after Sam or the people she loved, so in those moments, Reign was more of an overprotective friend/mom than a total villain too.

(And to some extent, Sam always gave me some Persephone vibes too. Persephone is the Goddess of Springtime and the Queen of the Dead both. That's fitting for someone like Sam, who has to deal with Reign. They both have seemingly oppositional domains. And hey, that makes the Persephone-Hades thing a little less weird, if you make Sam Persephone.)

Dionysus is Mon-El. He's a playboy and partier. Of course Mon-El is the God of Wine, Drunken Revelry and Fertility. And regardless of your opinion about Mon-El and his character/personality, he does have some funny moments and that's definitely befitting of a God of Partiers. And not only that, but Dionysus is also sometimes classified as a God of Resurrection. Mon-El got a moment like that in S3, returning to Kara after he left Earth (and the 21st century) at the end of S2. He's also a very free spirit, just like Dionysus.

Athena is Brainy. It's easy to mix him up with Winn, but the reason I made Brainy Athena is just like that fine distinction between J'onn and Superman. The way I see it, even though Brainy and Winn are both geniuses, Brainy seems a bit more on the battle side of everything. It's like his specialty is war and strategy. And that's Athena's specialty. Even though she symbolizes intelligence in its raw form, she seems to have a specialization in intelligence as it pertains to battle and strategy, just like Brainy. (Remember, he came from the Legion and joined the Superfriends pretty much immediately and a lot of his scenes involve him either planning or offering up probabilities of success at any given moment).

Ares is James. James has always seemed like a fighter to me, for better or worse, constantly allying himself with the Supers and wishing to be just like them. And of course, he's also the Guardian. And like I said in-story, to me, Ares isn't just the God of War because he shapes war, but because war shapes him. James has the same thing. He dealt with racism as a child and he openly admits that those traumas were part of what shaped him into the man we know and love today (for better or worse). James was born into a world of war and became a fighter as a result, just like Ares.

Apollo is Kara. She's sunlight. She flies through the sky (maybe not on a golden chariot, but still). And in a meta way, she's got a connection to music. Additionally, in the same way the sun can burn and blind when it does warm or illuminate, Kara's sweet disposition can quickly become a flaring and terrifying temper. She's scary when she's angry, and she's a vicious fighter. She's not all sunshine and rainbows. And her dichotomy of being a hero with the powers of mass destruction on her side (Red K Kara didn't just come out of nowhere after all), Apollo himself is credited as being the God of Medicine and Plague both, another seemingly oppositional set.

Artemis is Alex. She's Apollo's sister. She's also a huntress and "archer" (Alex loves her gun) and a lesbian (c'mon, we've all heard the "Artemis (and her Huntresses) is/are lesbian" thing before). Additionally, Artemis has a connection to childbirth and young women. Alex wants children and Ruby seemed to venerate her during their time together in S3. Additionally, Artemis is the Goddess of the Moon. Another celestial body in the sky, alongside the sun. To me, Alex's embodiment of the moon isn't there to show how different she is from Kara (the sun), but how well they work together. The moon reflects the sun's light and sometimes, you can see the moon in the sky even though the sun's out. To me, that shows how well the sun and moon work together, and how they really aren't as opposite as we seem to think that they are. (Gotta love that sisterly love).

Aphrodite is Kelly. She's described as being a therapist who's really good at reading humans and their emotions and behaviors. She also becomes Alex's GF by the end of S4 and her arch with James and their father's funeral, to me, spoke of a different kind of love. It wasn't just about romantic or sexual love, but familial love. And her helping him (and the other Superfriends) through their various troubles, to me, embodied love. Not just romantic or sexual, but platonic and familial too.

Hephaestus is Winn. Although Winn is crazy smart, I'd still place Brainy above him (Brainy's a level 12 intellect after all) and Winn has always seemed to err more on the side of technology, engineering and design than anything else. He, like Brainy, can be seen as a God of Smarts, but his specialty doesn't lie in the battlefield, it lies in a computer. He builds and designs things and he seems to work best with machinery and tech. That's not to say he's not useful or intelligent in combat, that's just to say I've always seen him more as the God of Machinery than of Battle Strategy.

Hermes is Nia. She, like Hermes, has a hand in many worlds. Hermes is a traveler and messenger and Nia has proven herself capable of communicating through dreams. But beyond that, I think Nia, of all people, would understand the concept of being part of many worlds. As a transgender woman and a human-alien hybrid who specializes in the sleeping world, she really knows all about limbo and being in between and everywhere all at once. She also used to be a political speechwriter. She had to be very eloquent, and good at delivering messages, in order to handle a job like that!

So what do you all think? Did all that make sense to you? What other ideas did you have? Is there anyone whom you think would've done better in a different role? Because I already know the possibilities could be so much more if I'd used different Gods or different Supergirl characters. I'll even list a few alternate versions below to get everyone else's creative juices flowing, if any of you should care to share your own ideas about this weird little crossover.

Lex: Athena, Ares or Zeus. He's definitely a War God and he's crazy smart. And if you cast him as one, you can cast Lena as the other to show the dichotomy between the two siblings and the two ways to go to war: brain or brawn? I know the Luthors both specialize in brains, but you could write that either one or the other seems to be a bit more physical than the other. And as for Zeus? The real Zeus was not a nice guy. Nor is Lex. And Lex certainly as the egomania of the King of the Gods. (Poseidon would work as well if you wanted to cast J'onn or one of the Supers as Zeus to highlight how Lex can be quite a match for them).

Lena: Athena, Hephaestus. Those should go without saying. She's wicked smart with EVERYTHING. She's great at battle strategy, she's a fierce fighter, she's great with machines, she builds and designs technology for a living. She could fit either role. (She could also fit Poseidon if you view him as a moody loner and cast Lex as Zeus, to once again highlight their sibling rivalry and the power imbalance between the two of them).

Lillian: Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Hermes: Zeus or Poseidon would represent what a powerful force she is/was and how high she used to rank in Cadmus. Hera and Demeter fit because Lillian is basically Cat and Sam with way less redeeming qualities (she does genuinely love Lena as S4 claims and she nearly kills Morgan Edge multiple times after she realizes he's after Lena, but she was very ruthless to Lena when Lena was young). Hermes is the God of Tricksters and Thieves and Travelers and Lillian's definitely got the dishonesty and slippery nature to fit that role too.

Eve: Athena, Hermes. No matter what you think about Eve, she's smart. Smart enough to work in a lab with Lena. And she's cunning. As Lex's little messenger and spy who comes and goes to keep him connected to National City, her roles as Hermes should be pretty clear.

Superman/girl: Zeus or Poseidon: No matter which Super gets which role, it should be obvious why they would receive the two strongest Gods of Olympus. (And if you cast Supergirl as Zeus, Alex could be Poseidon to highlight their sibling rivalry and power imbalance. Or perceived power imbalance, since Alex used to be jealous of Kara's powers and I have no doubt Poseidon's been jealous of Zeus before).

So now it's all up to you guys. Agree or disagree? Any other possibilities I didn't mention? (Heck, I haven't touched any of the minor gods yet and already, the Nia-Hypnos or Morpheus thing works perfectly! And Iris is the Goddess of Rainbows…) But if you're sick of all this speculation, feel free just to peace out instead. Once again, thanks for "playing" and I hope you enjoyed (in the sense that I hope it wasn't too hard or too easy). And congrats again to Jsottri, Blackpaw29 and Ri2!


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